Electrolyzed water including its characteristic ions may be formed by one of several ways. One of the several ways comprises adding a small amount of sodium chloride (NaCl) to pure distilled water, and conducting a current through it across an anode and a cathode. The cathode area attracts the sodium ion and produces basic water, while the anode area attracts the chlorine ion and produces acidic water. In this process, hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions are produced at the cathode, leading to an alkaline solution that consists essentially of sodium hydroxide. At the anode, chloride ions are oxidized to elemental chlorine. If some of this chlorine is allowed to combine with some of the hydroxide ions produced at the cathode, it disassociates into hypochlorous acid, a weak acid and an oxidizing agent. The “acidic electrolyzed water” can be raised in pH by mixing in the desired amount of hydroxide ion solution from the cathode compartment, yielding a solution of sodium hypochlorite NaClO which is the major component of ordinary household laundry bleach. For example, a solution whose pH is 7.3 will contain equal concentrations of hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion; reducing the pH will shift the balance toward the acid.
Because electrolyzed water may have a short shelf life depending on the method by which it is made and several other factors, the widespread use and production of electrolyzed water have been impractical and somewhat unfeasible. Electrolyzed water has been certified for medical use in Japan since the mid-1980s. Most often, it is sold and used in either the basic form or the acidic form.
The first type of electrolyzed water which was used was the acidic type, which was accepted quickly by the Japanese food industry. It was useful for killing bacteria and parasites in raw fish without compromising its quality. Alkaline water was developed next, and it was used in hospitals to alkalize the body and as an “energy enhancer”.
Diseases in animal herds have always been problematic for herdsmen. Although diseases and health problems occurred when animals such as swine, cattle, chickens, and horses were reared mostly outdoors, since the advent of confined growth and production of these animals in confinements housing hundreds of animals, the incidence, threat and spread of disease has increased astronomically. The negative effects of disease are magnified by the speed with which contamination can spread both within and between confinements.
It has long been known that disease often travels via animal to animal contact, perhaps through shared watering or feeding equipment and container or via airborne transfer. It is also theorized—and in some cases known—that air quality in general may affect the overall health, feed to gain ratio, or feed intake of the animals in addition to exacerbating symptoms of certain disease states.
Some disease examples that plague producers of swine and are related in some way to environmental transmission include the following, several of which include symptoms that may be reduced or contamination that may be mitigated by the uses of electrolyzed water as taught by the current invention:
Arthritis: Arthritis can cause heavy losses of hogs. The disease may result from a variety of causes including Streptococcus bacteria, erysipelas and injury. It is thought that keeping hogs on damp, cold or rough surfaces may contribute to arthritis. Symptoms include lameness, swollen, hardened joints and stunted growth. Arthritis is treatable with antibiotics if caught in the early stages and there are vaccines for arthritis caused by erysipelas and Streptococcus.
Bordatella Rhinitis is caused by an infection of the nasal cavity of hogs by Bordatella bronchiseptica, an organism that gets onto open scratches or wounds in the nose or mouth. It can be transmitted from sow to piglet. Symptoms include sneezing and a general failure to thrive. Treatment with antibiotics may be effective. A vaccine is available.
Circovirus: Porcine Circovirus Disease (PCVD) or Circo is a viral disease that has become a major problem in the United States. Caused by Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2), not all pigs develop clinical signs of the disease but most swine are infected. Symptoms, duration and mortality can vary by herd. Symptoms can include enlarged lymph nodes, skin rashes, difficulty breathing, jaundice, fever, stomach ulcers and diarrhea. Risks include poor growth, weight loss and weakness with increased chance of mortality between 5 to 14 weeks. There is a vaccine available.
Clostridium Enteritis: This disease is found among piglets less than a week old and is caused by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens Type C. Symptoms include yellow, pasty diarrhea, weakness and trying to be near a warm place. It is spread through piglet to piglet contact and infected feces of the sow. Treatment with antibiotics is possible, but most survivors will be permanently stunted. Vaccination is available for pregnant sows and gilts prior to farrowing.
Erysipelas: This very common hog disease is caused by the bacterium Erysipelothrix Rhusiopathiae, found in almost every pig farm. Up to half of animals carry it. It is nearly always present in the pig environment and spreads through saliva, feces or urine. It comes on suddenly. It is most often caused by poor hygiene. Treatment is penicillin. A vaccine is available to be given at 3 weeks of age and older.
Flu: Swine Influenza Virus can be passed by infected pigs, birds or humans. This disease can be dramatic with a rapid onset in 12 to 48 hours. Symptoms include coughing, fever, loss of appetite and pneumonia. Infertility can result in sows and the high fevers can cause abortions. Vaccination is available.
Greasy Pig Disease: The disease is caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus hyicus which lives normally on the skin without causing disease. This bacterium is normally present on the skin, but in the disease state the bacterium causes dermatitis and oozes greasy fluid. The toxins produced are absorbed and can damage the liver and kidneys. In the sucking piglet disease is usually confined to individual animals, but it can be a major problem in new gilt herds and weaned pigs. Treatment includes antibiotics, disinfecting by washing the infected skin, and disinfecting the confinement and crates after a litter is emptied.
Ileitis: A common ailment in swine of all ages and especially in pigs that have been recently weaned. Symptoms include inflammation of the small and/or large intestine, diarrhea and stomach distress. Stress is often listed as a cause for this illness. Vaccination through drinking water is available.
Leptospirosis: Caused by the bacterium Leptospira. Symptoms include loss of condition and reproduction problems. It's difficult to eradicate once started as it spreads by mouth, urine, wallows, feed, water, venereal transmission and contaminated surfaces. Treatment with antibiotics is recommended; there is also a combination vaccine available.
Mycoplasmal Pneumonia: Symptoms include coughing and difficulty breathing. Caused by bacteria and highly contagious, it can be spread by air, contaminated surfaces, pig to pig, feed and water. Treatment with antibiotics is recommended; vaccination is available.
PEDv: (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus): Introduced into the US from elsewhere this virus appeared in multiple, widely distributed sow herds within days, implying a common point-source origin. The virus in the US is 99.4% homologous with that in China in 2012, it has spread to 20 states as of this date, and producers can expect losses of up to 100% of piglets 3 weeks and less of age. Present recommendations for management of infection include fully infecting the herd to accomplish immunity. Infected pigs exhibit symptoms such as watery diarrhea for a week to 10 days before recovering. The incubation time of the disease from contact to symptomatic is thought to be between about 22 and 36 hours; 2-4 days at herd level. Neonatal pigs in a farrowing unit often experience death rate at 100%. In general, the younger the animals the higher the risk of death. In hog production operations, the virus can spread rapidly and cause increase in costs and time to production at best, and, at worst, death rates that can be debilitating for the producer. Almost always, pigs that have suffered PEDv and survived will be sold at measurably lighter weights in order to clear the confinement on schedule, costing the producer thousands of dollars. It is believed that PEDv (and its major symptom) negatively affects feed to gain ratios.
Porcine Parvovirus: This one is probably the most common cause of infectious infertility in hogs. There are rarely any clinical symptoms except stillbirths, mummified piglets and small litters due to loss of embryos in the womb. Unlike most viral infections, Porcine Parvovirus can live in soil and on surfaces for months. It's resistant to most disinfectants. Once a pig has had it, there is a lifelong immunity. There is no treatment, but vaccine is available.
PRRS: Porcine Reproductive & Respiratory Syndrome. Production losses can be attributed to reduction in farrowing rate, reduced number of live births/increased stillbirths, poor reproduction in gilts and early farrowing. Symptoms include a reluctance to drink, loss of appetite in sows at farrowing, blueing of the ears, respiratory signs and coughing, no milk and lethargy. This disease first classified in 1991. Vaccine is available.
Rotavirus: Rotavirus is widespread in almost all pig populations. Symptoms include diarrhea, dehydration, sunken eyes and wasting. Rotavirus is usually caused by poor hygiene, temperature fluctuations and contaminated boots and clothing. Vaccine is available.
Scours (E, coli/Clostridium perfringens type C): Scours or baby pig diarrhea is the most common disease among baby pigs. While scours can occur at any age during nursing, there are often two peak periods—before 5 days and between 7 and 14 days. Scours causes severe production losses as well as substantial death losses. Vaccination is available for pregnant sows and gilts prior to farrowing.
TGE: Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) in swine is known to be one of the most significant diarrhea-producing diseases in young pigs. The TGEV is vulnerable to sunlight and various disinfectants such as sodium hypochrolite or iodines. It causes high morbidity/mortality in pigs less than two weeks of age. Many pigs older than three weeks of age will survive but are likely to remain stunted. Anti-biotic treatment is not indicated; vaccine is not typically employed. Good biosecurity and cleaning is recommended.
About 140 diseases are listed at “www.thepigsite.com” including recommended treatments and preventative measures. In short, there are dozens of diseases and/or conditions that swine might suffer and nearly all of them are exacerbated by confinement growth. Further, there are many that include gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea. Unchecked diarrhea can and does cause death and/or failure to thrive of thousands of hogs every year. By raising hogs in confinements, diseases causing such symptoms can spread through a herd in a matter of only a few days, can result in up to 100% death for neonatal piglets, and cause high rates of death in grow finish operations as well as sows.
Cattle diseases of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
Clostridial diseases caused by bacteria are blackleg, red water, enterotoxemia and tetanus. Sudden death is often the first and only sign of these cattle diseases.
Respiratory diseases or BRD also known as “shipping disease” or “shipping fever” are the costliest of all cattle diseases, resulting in poor gains and a weakened immune system. Coughing, nasal discharge, fever and difficulty breathing are among the symptoms of these cattle diseases.
Scours or diarrhea is a common cattle disease that often affects baby calves. Animals that survive this cattle disease often remain weak and perform poorly throughout their lives.
Although cattle are more often raised outdoors, a number of the aforementioned diseases might be addressed by ingestion through common watering equipment, or by topical treatment of animals, if a substantially whole body treatment regime could be devised. And it would be desirable to reduce infection and transmission that occurs by contamination of water containers, equipment or barn interiors.
Although vaccine and/or treatment for many of the most common communicable or environment specific diseases of swine, cattle and poultry have been developed, it is not feasible to administer all vaccines to a single animal. The vaccines come with an economic price as well as a cost in labor and effort. They are often not immediately effective and, therefore, may be a wholly unnecessary cost for a herd that is never exposed. More importantly, many common diseases can be prevented through a solid program of good hygiene and animal husbandry, control of flies and biting insects, and selective vaccination when possible and feasible. Some cattle diseases might be addressed by body surface treatment, through watering facilities, or, where barns or other confinement arrangements are employed, good hygiene and animal husbandry may have a positive effect. Many poultry diseases and swine diseases may, likewise, be addressed by hygiene or treatment protocols for the confinement and its atmosphere.
What was needed was a simple, inexpensive, and effective means to improve air quality in animal confinements and reduce symptoms of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Further, for animals outdoors there was a need for a full body treatment to reduce presence of certain viral or bacterial load on the animal's skin and/or fur for reduction of the rate of transmission and infection.
A first objective of the present invention was to provide a means to reduce viral or bacterial load on surfaces or in the air;
A second objective of the present invention was to provide a means to reduce symptoms of respiratory distress or other causes of animal distress associated with disease state or poor air quality;
A third objective of the present invention was to provide a simple means to reduce bacterial load for livestock;
A fourth objective of the present invention was to provide means to administer an anti-viral or anti-bacterial to livestock via respiratory therapy;
A fifth objective of the present invention was to provide means to reduce virus and bacterial levels on the skin or fur of infected or carrying animals;
A sixth objective of the present invention was to provide means to reduce dehydration of a diseased animal;
A seventh objective of the present invention was to provide an oral treatment, easily administered, for the management of the symptoms associated with PEDv or TEG, predominantly watery diarrhea and ensuing dehydration;
An eighth objective of the present invention was to provide an oral treatment, easily administered, for reducing the days to recovery and to minimize weight loss of an animal infected with PEDv in order to generally preserve life, time to market, and feed to gain ratio;
A ninth objective of the present invention was to provide a method for reducing risk and recovery time during intentional exposure of a herd to PEDv.
A tenth objective of the present invention was to provide a method for full herd exposure to reach endemic status and full immunity while at the same time minimizing loss of life, reducing time to recovery, and reducing symptoms and their effects.